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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — farmland
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com